From the Mae Shi Drama Emerges a New Collaboration MP3 Ft. Wallpaper and Kid Static

As what once was (and partially still is) The Mae Shi struggles to regain its grip on its now bifurcated self, former member Jacob "Jacob Safari" Cooper has blessed the 'net with a summery new collaborative track, "Pool Party," featuring Oakland's Wallpaper and Chicago's Kid Static. Backstory after the video and MP3 download link:

Wallpaper. featuring Jacob Safari & Kid Static - Pool Party (MP3)

You'll remember remix-happy electronic auteur Wallpaper from his infamous AutoTuning of Jay-Z, which we blogged about in detail here, and Kid Static has an increasingly rich history with the Mae Shi. Last year, he and a regular cohort (Yea Big) mashed up the Mae Shi's lauded 2008 album HLLYH with their own self-titled LP. Well, those same two Illinoisans joined Cooper, Jon Gray, and Bill Gray (who were billed as the Mae Shi) onstage for a controversial Pitchfork Music Festival performance on July 19. Controversial, because according to The Mae Shi's founder, this group wasn't the Mae Shi at all.

All there is to say about the ensuing drama has already been said: here (the original Pitchfork article previewing the festival appearance), here (Jeff Byron's bummer of a MySpace blog post), and here (Cooper's response, via Canadian publication Exclaim!). Cooper/Safari and the Grays, all former members of the Mae Shi, have morphed into Signals, while the Mae Shi is down to Jeff Byron and his brother Tim.

Wallpaper, meanwhile, pushes on, seemingly unperturbed by any of it:

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